Joey&Lauren - Through The Eyes Of Others
by SimplyReBECca
Summary: Joey and Lauren. Through the eyes from the people that know them best. Had those people used their senses, maybe they'd have seen it coming. First story, this is me saying sorry if it's rubbish and too short.
1. Tanya - Sound

She should have realised. She should have questioned it. Maybe then things could have been different. She'd noticed her eldest daughter who had been so miserable, struggling after dealing with the burden of cancer, suddenly become full of smiles, and had often caught her giggling at her phone after recieving a text. She'd recalled the whispered conversation between the two. And she'd heard the sobbing, the sound that she'll remember forever. Her daughter, sobbing, broken-hearted and not caring who knew. If only Tanya had used her ears, she might have seen it coming.


	2. Alice - Touch

I love my new family. And I think Joey does too. I love Aunt Tanya, always so friendly & offering advice, even though Dad doesn't like it, I quite like having Tanya around. I love Uncle Max, always there if I need him, I wonder if he'll be able to bridge the gap between Joey and Dad? I love Abi & Oscar, I always wanted cousins to talk & play with. And of course I love Lauren, she's not just a cousin, she's my friend. I felt like I fitted in straight away. Joey didn't. Other than with Lauren. He's so uncomfortable around new people, he can't help it, he just is. But he seems relaxed around Lauren, his body language is different. I know my brother and he trusts Lauren. He's always angeled towards her, he comforts her with hugs and he tucks her hair behind her ear ALL the time. I'm glad they are so close. If only Alice had paid more attention to her brother's touchs, she may have realised soon.


	3. Max - Taste

She was going off the rails. Always drinking. He hated it. Knew he was mostly to blame for her actions. Her drinking had lessened once he returned, the burden she had been carrying halved by sharing with other people, but she soon started back up. Necking the bitter vodka back, not caring how drunk she got, just wanting to forget her life and all the hurt. But then a change, drunken Lauren stopped. No more downing shots, getting blotto. No more throwing up the morning after, the bitter taste of alcohol coming back up. Nothing. He'd barely noticed to be honest, so caught up in life until the accident. And then the change. Old Lauren was back, something hurting her. Upsetting her enough, she needed to block out the pain with the bitter vodka & sour shots. If only he'd connected the dots, Max might have been able to step in.


	4. Abi - Smell

I love different scents, I smell quite girly I guess. Like floral & fresh, like flowers and fabric softener. My boyfriend Jay smells like boy, haha. Unless he has the aftershave I brought him, then he smells lush. And I can't smell oil now without thinking of him. My mum smells like my mum – soft perfume, hair spray and just that mum smell, you know? My Dad smells like aftershave and whisky and just Dad. Oscar smells has that baby smell, I guess and Bradley, well Bradley just to smell comforting, like a warm blanket. A hug from him made everything feel okay. My sister has a lot of different smells, depending on if she's dressed up, all perfume-y, or hungover, all stale and sicky. But recently she smells different, kind of girly and perfume-y but with another scent too. A rich smell, a strong smell, masculine almost. She's changed I'm just not sure what or who's caused it yet.

We have so much family here in the Square now, which is great! There's Uncle Jack (who smells like a mixture of strong aftershave & the sweaty gym, but don't tell him), Aunt Carole (who smells like home cooked food & comfort, Uncle Derek (money & whisky), Bianca (cheap perfume & hair spray), Whit (perfume & Tyler haha), the rest of the kids, and two new cousins who I love so much already. Alice smells so soft, all lavender-y and dainty, just like a doll I guess and Joey smells like a man haha, aftershave-y, a strong & rich smell. So that's my family. If only Abi wasn't so naive, she might have noticed.


	5. Lucy - Sight

Lauren's my best friend. I wish she was around more, but her family are giving her drama AGAIN & Whit seems to think she has a new boy messing with her head. Wonder if he has any cute friends, need to hook up with someone to show him what he's missing. I felt bad for Lauren always having to be with him, I see them around the Square a lot, always together. Bet she hates being stuck with him, all of his over protective looks and stupid glances at her. Always watching to see what she does. Ahh I'd get so annoyed. She obviously just feels bad he's now apart of the messed up drama that is the Brannings. She's always watching out for him, looking out the corner of her eye in his direction in the club. And whenever they're together, always glancing at each other. Making sure everything's good. That's what cousins do I guess, got to watch out for each other. If only Lucy had opened her eyes, she might have seen it coming.


	6. Joey's mum - Sound

I knew he was different. I thought it was just being around the family. I thought maybe I'd been wrong to keep Joey & Alice away from the Branning's. Maybe I should have kept him away from Derek, but stayed in contact with the rest of the family. It's too late now. He is different though. I can tell, even over the phone. He's my baby. I know him. He's almost, lost his hard edges that being man of the house had given him. He's happier. I should have put two and two together, I almost did one day. He was telling a story about what he'd gotten up to in Walford and two girl's names kept coming up. Lauren and Lucy. I knew one of them was his girlfriend and the other his cousin. But by the way he was talking about them, I had mistakenly thought Lauren was his girlfriend, not Lucy. It was only speaking at Alice I realised Lauren was the cousin, not the girlfriend. I got scoffed at, laughed at and shrugged off when I spoke to Joey and said I'd muddled the two up. I said he talked about Lauren fondly and seemed a little indifferent to Lucy. He told me you couldn't even compare the girls, they were best friends but polar opposites. One was pretty but a ice-queen, quite stand-offish, cold and could far too bitchy, way too high maintence for Joey's taste. The other was gorgeous, bubbly funny, super sarcastic and kept Joey on his toes. And he definitely didn't see them the same way at all. And once again, I muddled them up. Told him that the ice-queen who I thought was Lauren would warm up to him eventually, having two new cousins must be odd. And the gorgeous, sarcastic girl (who I thought was Lucy) sounded perfect for him and he should keep her around. Joey abruptly finished our phonecall with a "wait, mum, Lauren's... never mind. I gotta go yeah? Love ya" and by the next time I'd spoken to him, I'd forgotten to question him about it. If only I'd trusted my judgement, I might have been able to help save him and them a lot of hurt.


	7. Cora - Sight

Something was up with Lauren. I just haven't worked out what it is yet. But believe me, I'll find out. Nobody in this family can keep secrets from me. Maybe I should question Derek's boy. He's around her a lot, helps keep her on the straight and narrow on off the booze. Maybe he knows what little secret she's hiding. It'll come out. It always does. She's a madam, that girl. The perfect mix of her parent's bad bits, with a couple of mine & Raine's through in. She needs a good bloke to calm her down, stop her going off the rails, to keep her away from this house. We need to find her a bloke. Maybe Derek's boy would know of someone. He'd know what she'd fancy as well, because they're close. That's an idea. But I'll keep watching her, and I'll finding out what it is she's hiding. Won't take my eyes off her. Not like Tanya does, let's her run wild. I'll keep an close eye on her, I will. If only Cora actually looked around her, maybe she'd have seen just how close Joey and Lauren were.


	8. Sharon - Knowledge

I wish I was wrong. But I didn't think I was. From what I'd worked out, Joey and Lauren were together. Oh if only they knew, how much hurt they are going to face. The backlash when everyone finds out. I knew from experience. Not that I regretted any of it, the good I had with Dennis, the love we shared far outweighed the negative opinions, and even though I lost him, I'd never regret it. One, because I had Denny, but 2, for the way he made me feel. I'm worried for them though, especially her. She's got more to lose than he has, just like I did with Dennis. She's risking a lot to be with him, and I just hope he realises how much. She's fallen and she's fallen fast, just like I did.

I looked at him, the exact way I see Lauren looking at Joey. Secret glances, willing yourself not to look, but doing it anyway. Then the smirk he sends her, when he catches her looking at him, is like a flashback. The teasing banter, sarcastic comments, pushing the others buttons, they are very well matched. The way he acts like a bad boy, but is so gentle with her at times, tucking her hair behind her ear, always looking out for her. It's obvious he loves her. I don't know how other people haven't picked up on the chemistry, sure they have tried to hide it but it's obvious. But maybe I can just see it clearer, because I've been there. I wish them the best, to enjoy it whilst it lasts and I hope for their sake, it doesn't end in tears.


End file.
